Recipient Organization
CITY OF LAS CRUCES
700 N MAIN ST
LAS CRUCES,NM 88001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Curb Your Food Waste Project is a food waste prevention and recycling project that includes approximately 50,000 households and 8,000 commercial customers across the City of Las Cruces. If families, businesses and farms are educated in food waste reduction, more surplus food will be redirected to those in need. Keeping food out of landfill is also a critical way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - if each household in this project recycles their food scraps for two years, the reduction in GHG emissions would be the same as taking over 10,000 cars off the road. Furthermore, food scraps collected from Las Cruces residents and commercial customer's Green Bins will greatly enhance the existing green yard waste compost, creating a more effective and beneficial fertilizer to enrich the soil of local farms, public parks, and gardens and reduce the use of manufactured concentrated fertilizer products.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Food Waste Reduction - Too much food is simply discarded, where it ends up in the landfill. The program will also have an educational component, teaching people about the importance of reducing food waste, composting, and sustainable living. This education will empower residents, particularly our disadvantaged populations, giving them the tools and knowledge to make more sustainable decisions, and improving their quality of life. In addition, reduced food waste can also potentially lower overall food prices, which will indirectly contribute to food affordability for low-income individuals and families.Diversion of Surplus Food to Beneficial Use - One of the critical goals of food waste reduction is to redirect surplus food, that would otherwise be wasted, to those who are in need. By educating families, businesses and farms on how to recover and where to distribute surplus food, this program will directly improve food security among disadvantaged populations.Diversion of Food Waste from the Landfill - Diverting food waste from landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions, as food waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas.Create Jobs - This program will encourage the creation of jobs in various sectors, such as food recovery, composting facilities, transportation, and waste management as the programs mature and expand.ObjectivesFood Waste ReductionEducate people about the importance of reducing food waste, composting, and sustainable living.Improve food security among disadvantaged populations.Food Waste CollectionTest approaches to collection of food waste, both weekly or biweekly. It will also determine whether trucks need to be reconfigured to handle food waste or if an addition of a separate fleet dedicated to food waste collection.Identify potential operational issues for the Clean Landfill regarding the proper handling of these organic materials.Diversion of Surplus Food to Beneficial UseEducate people on how to save and recover unused food.Increase food supply to organizations that re-distribute food to families in need.Diversion of Food Waste from the LandfillReduce Greenhouse Gas emissions.Use food waste to create an enhanced compost fertilizer.Reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.Create JobsEncourage the creation of jobs in various sectors, such as food recovery, composting facilities, transportation, and waste management.
Project Methods
Good communication is critical to ensure the efficient and timely implementation of the project. The City will foster open and transparent communication channels among all partnering entities by encouraging regular communication to share updates, address concerns, and coordinate efforts effectively. City staff will set up a centralized communication platform or project management tool to streamline communication and document sharing.The initial kick-off meeting and follow-up meetings will be focused on ensuring that each partnering entity understands its specific roles, responsibilities, and deliverables for the project and that the scope of work, expectations, and desired outcomes for each entity involved are clearly defined. City staff will encourage collaborators to provide input and suggest ways to improve each task based on their specific areas of expertise. Regular meetings, either in-person or virtual, will be scheduled through project implementation review project progress, discuss challenges, and align on next steps.As a preparatory phase, the outreach will begin with a series of billboards and meetings to discuss the Curb Your Food Waste Program. Meetings will be provided for elected officials, local news media, and residents to prepare for the full outreach program.The goals of the outreach program will be three-fold.To provide information on the impacts of food waste on climate change and information on the proposed program to begin recycling food waste as an individual stream and the production of a higher quality compost for use within the community.Clarify the Return on Investment (ROI) to the resident for participation, e.g., provide clarification of how the broader benefits impact the resident on a practical daily basis.To survey residents on what types of recycling activities with regards to food waste that they are most like to engage in to maximize the number of 'set-outs.' For example, would residents prefer larger rolling bins or smaller household bins with strategically located drop-off locations? Would compostable bags be preferred? What options would be best to reduce the 'odor' and 'ick' factors?To develop an education program that will take a longer-term approach to educate residents both on food waste recycling and reducing waste altogether. Households in disadvantaged census tracts will be canvassed to participate in the project by receiving a mailing and an in-person visit from the City of Las Cruces' representatives. During this program, those who volunteer to participate will learn to:Shop smart to prevent food from being wasted and create less waste.Learn how to home compost more effectively.Make the most of your food, and compost or recycle the rest using the Green Bin to recycle food scraps.In addition to written and hard-copy materials as mentioned above, the City recognizes that there are several multimedia tools that can be used for education and outreach that can help engage community members, disseminate information effectively, and create an interactive learning experience.Social Media Platforms: The City currently maintains active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. These platforms will be used to share updates, events, and resources with the community.Websites: The City currently maintains websites for each Department and the green yard waste recycling program. These sites will be updated with information regarding the Curb Your Food Waste program. Interactive features such as forms, surveys, and comment sections will be considered to facilitate community engagement and feedback.Videos and Webinars: Producing videos and webinars can be powerful educational tools. Webinars enable live or recorded interactive sessions where community members can ask questions and participate in discussions and be retained for later viewing. Videos on the Curb Your Food Waste program will be shared on YouTube or embedded on websites for wider reach.Online Surveys and Feedback Tools: Utilizing online survey tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey can help gather feedback, opinions, and suggestions from the community. Surveys enable data collection, analysis, and understanding community perspectives on specific elements of the program, as noted above.Following completion of the initial outreach and survey portion of the project, the City Solid Waste Department will initiate the purchase of the appropriate collection bins and supporting materials based on the results of the survey and the feasibility of integration with existing waste collection activities.In the initial phases of food waste recycling, it is likely that there will be confusion in the use of the food waste bins, with unacceptable materials contaminating the food waste. City staff will prioritize monitoring the food waste stream during the first year for the presence of unacceptable materials so those portions of the food waste stream can be diverted from the compost processing.